The 'little lad from Morecambe' who became a successful musician

Thanks to modern technology, David Banks can now make music from a box room in the Heysham home where he has returned to care for his mum.

He last lived permanently in the area more than 40 years ago before leaving to pursue a music career in London.

Educated at Trumacar and Balmoral Schools, David’s first musical memory was hearing Cilla Black sing Anyone Who Had A Heart on the television.

“I was about seven and when I saw Cilla singing, I thought that’s what I want to do,” said David, known to family and friends as Chris.

By the time he was a teenager, David’s musical tastes had changed considerably, becoming a fan of Deep Purple, Alice Cooper and Led Zeppelin.

He taught himself to play guitar with some help from local musician, Dave Purchase, and along with some friends formed a band called Frenchie which played a few gigs locally and in Blackpool.

“We were all 15 and agreed that in five years’ time we would go to London but when we reached 20, the others backed out so I went on my own.”

On seeing an advert in the Melody Maker, David auditioned for a punk band called The Secret and was accepted along with another young guitarist, David Murray.

When it came to The Secret recording a cover of Cliff Richard’s The Young Ones, David Murray didn’t turn up and the rest of the band soon found out that he had a secret of his own – he was playing with another band…called Iron Maiden!

After touring with XTC, David went solo with one of his more distinctive looks – a half head of hair and a lurex suit.

David’s image and antics were thought to be so crazy that he was renamed ‘Shrink’. He eventually won a record deal, and in 1979 had a New Wave hit with the single Valid or Void which appeared on a compilation album alongside tracks by the likes of The Police, Squeeze and Joe Jackson.

Shrink lived up to his name, especially when it came to performing. On one occasion when the audience was throwing cans at him, David got hold of a fire extinguisher and covered the front rows with white foam.

“There’s still people who write to me from all over the world with their memories of Valid or Void,” said David who even performed in front of Danish royalty when he broke his guitar in half.

His experimental punk attitude landed David with a cameo appearance in the 1980 film Breaking Glass starring Hazel O’Connor who let him share her caravan when they were both having their make-up done.

As the Eighties dawned, David joined the Perfect Zebras who toured with Kim Wilde and were particularly popular in Germany, and he was also a member of The Vakeros who were managed by Marcus Russell whose company went on to manage Oasis.

It was during this decade that David also shared the same management as Peter Gabriel, who took a liking to some of his demo tapes, and at another stage in his career, he also shared the same management as Ian Drury and owns a pair of his glasses.

However, as the Nineties began, David’s musical career faltered and with no qualifications, he found himself working on security at Associated Newspapers in Fleet Street, eventually managing the entire building.

“It was the first time in my life that my dad was proud of me. He didn’t think music was a proper job,” said David.

His next management post came with a penthouse and never having lost his love of music, he also created a studio there, set up an independent dance label and for more than 20 years wrote music which has been used by dance act, Diversity, and top skateboarder, Tony Hawk.

His music has also been used in reality shows including Keeping Up with The Kardashians and documentaries such as When Sharks Attack.

However, David’s world came crashing down when he caught Covid. He was so ill he was on oxygen in hospital and was told he wasn’t responding to treatment. Then he received a phone call from his boss to say he’d lost his job.

After eventually recovering from Covid, David decided to leave almost everything behind in London and return home to care for his mum, Georgina Bertram, who used to run dance sessions at Morecambe’s Rainbow Centre.

David turned the box room into a studio and saw his luck turn again when he was contacted out of the blue by one of the world’s biggest film music libraries – Post Haste – who specialise in music for trailers including Star Wars, The Matrix and Terminator.

David’s hybrid experimental sound was music to their ears and he’s recently completed the TALOS album for them.

He’s also been asked by American rock/jazz violinist, Noel Webb, to write some trailer music.

Said 66-year-old David: “Now I’ve come home, I’ve found my life has turned around again. I love being creative and I hope my story of being a little lad from Morecambe with no qualifications who became a successful musician, might inspire young people who are thinking of following their love of music like I did.”